Drowning reveals Vivid flaws: coroner

An Irishman drowned in Sydney's Darling Harbour at a world-famous event that had a "fundamentally flawed" risk assessment, says a coroner.

Critically, it didn't identify the risk posed by the open waters' edge of Cockle Bay or assess the need "for controls to be put in place to eliminate, isolate or reduce that risk," she said.

Deputy State Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan found that Brendan Hickey, 34, died as a consequence of drowning by misadventure to which alcohol intoxication was a contributing factor.

In her inquest findings delivered on Thursday, Ms O'Sullivan made recommendations relating to the risk assessment policiies, practices and procedures of bodies, including event management company Concept Entertainment Group (CEG).

Mr Hickey, who immigrated to Sydney from Ireland, was with his girlfriend and two friends at the Vivid Festival in May 2014, when he stood up, lost his balance and fell into the water.

The friends dived in but were unable to find Mr Hickey, who couldn't swim and had a fear of water.

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Minutes after he fell, the go-ahead was given to start the sound and light show, a move which police said interfered with the efforts of rescuers to co-ordinate an effective response.

His family was understandably distressed by this, said the coroner, who noted a lack of awareness and training in relation to CEG's "stop show procedure".

But she found the decision to start the show did not have any effect on the survival of Mr Hickey, whose relatives described him as hard-working, social and a family man idolised by his nieces and nephews.

Vivid Sydney, a "major, internationally renowned event", attracted more than 1.43 million people in 2014, but the CEG risk assessments had been "fundamently flawed", she said.

No reference was made to controls already in place such a lifebuoy and fixed emergency ladders, and no analysis was made of them in the context of Vivid and factors such as its proximity to licensed premises.

While CEG had made changes, there was "no evidence that the underlying weaknesses in CEG's risk assessment and risk management processes have been addressed".

She noted an expert's opinion that the erection of permanent fencing to isolate the waters' edge at Cockle Bay would significantly reduce the risk of drowning.